Device for shared vehicle maintenance and recovery

ABSTRACT

System, apparatus, device and methods relating to a telematic vehicle sharing platform ecosystem and a telematic vehicle share I/O expander to automate sharing and management of a vehicle that is shared by more than one operator.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This patent application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C § 119(e) toU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/012,536, titled“Telematic Vehicle Sharing Platform Ecosystem”, filed on 20 Apr. 2020,which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to systems, devices and methodsfor vehicle sharing in a telemetry vehicle sharing platform ecosystem.More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a telematic devicethat enables drivers to share vehicles by utilizing a unique personalattribute in the form of an electronic device or other data drivenfeatures to access a vehicle. Once inside a vehicle the driver haspredefined control of vehicle systems to start, operate, drive and stopthe vehicle. The predefined control may be limited or unlimited basedupon the type of vehicle share reservation. The present disclosure alsorelates to automated complex vehicle share management. Complex vehicleshare management includes sharing and monitoring a vehicle, sharedvehicle utilization management, shared vehicle maintenance and recovery,shared vehicle communication management, identifying and reportingvehicle share misuse and complex vehicle share storage management.

BACKGROUND

Virtual vehicle key sharing is known but the technology has a number ofdeficiencies. One past approach provides a readily available key locatedwithin a vehicle wherein anyone entering the vehicle may start andoperate the vehicle. This past approach leaves a vehicle prone to theft.Other past approaches fail to take advantage of telematic technologies,data and the benefits of an integrated telematic vehicle sharingplatform ecosystem.

One past application of vehicle sharing is U.S. Pat. No. 9,947,153 (Ser.No. 15/452,314) issued to Bergerhoff et al on Apr. 17, 2018 for a SecureSmartphone Based Access and Start Authorization System for Vehicles. ABluetooth enabled smartphone may be used for both access control andstart authorization in a secure and safe way, and embodiments arebackward-compatible with conventional vehicle access and start systems.A smart phone acts as an intermediary authorization device to a codegenerator which effectively resembles a car key that is installed in avehicle. A Bluetooth transceiver and the code generator and, optionally,for the retrofit solution, an RF/LF transceiver are added to thevehicle. The Bluetooth transceiver communicates with the smart phone.The code generator communicates with electronic control units in thevehicle that control access, immobilization and engine start. Thecommunication may happen via a wired connection or, in the case of theretrofit solution, via an RF/LF transceiver that mimics an additionalcar key programmed to the vehicle.

Another past application of vehicle sharing is United States PatentApplication 2018/0297558 (Ser. No. 15/950,672) published to Froitzheimon Oct. 18, 2018 for a Motor Vehicle Access And/Or Start System. Thepresent disclosure relates to motor vehicles. Various embodiments mayinclude methods and apparatuses for unlocking a motor vehicle using amotor vehicle access and/or start system. For example, a vehicle key foropening, starting, and locking a motor vehicle may include: a firsttransceiver communicating with the motor vehicle access and startsystem; a second transceiver communicating with a mobile radio terminal;and a controller which, on the basis of a code received from the mobileradio terminal and in the form of either a release code or a lockingcode, either releases or locks communication between the vehicle key andthe motor vehicle access and start system. The communication isassociated with unlocking, starting and/or locking the motor vehicle.

Another past application of vehicle sharing is United States PatentApplication 2019/0039567 (Ser. No. 16/074,517) published to Froitzheimet. Al. on Feb. 7, 2019 for Methods and Apparatuses For Unlocking AMotor Vehicle Having An Engine Start And/Or Vehicle Entry System.Various embodiments may include systems for unlocking a motor vehicle.For example, an apparatus may include: a motor vehicle key for unlockinga motor vehicle having a remote engine start and/or vehicle entrysystem. The motor vehicle key comprises a Bluetooth antenna and a motorvehicle communicating antenna. A controller of the motor vehicle key isconfigured to: use the Bluetooth antenna to set up a Bluetooth link to amobile radio terminal using an activation key stored in a memory of themotor vehicle key; and instruct a motor vehicle controller installed inthe motor vehicle to prompt an operation of the motor vehicle.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to aspects of telematic vehiclesharing platform ecosystem. Aspects and embodiments include a telematicdevice, a vehicle share reservation platform, a vehicle share managementplatform, a vehicle share data analytics platform and aspects ofsystems, devices and methods for the ecosystem. More specifically, thereis a telematic vehicle share I/O expander, a method for a telematicvehicle share I/O expander, a system for sharing and monitoring shareduse of a vehicle, a device for sharing and monitoring shared use of avehicle, a method for sharing and monitoring share use of a vehicle, asystem for shared vehicle utilization management, a device for sharevehicle utilization management, a method for shared vehicle utilizationmanagement, a system for vehicle share maintenance management, a devicefor vehicle share maintenance management, a method for vehicle sharemaintenance management, vehicle share communication, a system toidentify shared vehicle misuse, a device to identify shared vehiclemisuse, a method to identify shared vehicle misuse, a system for vehicleshare storage management, a device for vehicle share storage managementand a method for vehicle share storage management.

According to a broad aspect, there is a telematic vehicle share I/Oexpander. The expander comprises: a microprocessor, memory and firmware,communications circuitry, at least one internal interface and at leastone external interface. The microprocessor, memory and firmware forcontrolling the expander. The microprocessor, memory and firmware forcontrolling data through the plurality of internal interfaces andplurality of external interfaces. The at least one internal interface toobtain at least one unique personal attribute. The at least one externalinterface to couple with a vehicle interface for communicating with avehicle bus. Wherein the expander upon receiving a valid at least oneunique personal attribute enabling a defined set of controls to activatevehicle features through the at least one external interface foroperation of the vehicle.

According to another broad aspect, there is a method for a telematicvehicle share I/O expander. The method comprising: receiving reservationdata, the reservation data for validating at least one unique personalattribute, the reservation data and the at least one unique personalattribute enabling a defined set of vehicle control; sensing at leastone unique personal attribute in proximity so to a vehicle, comparingthe at least one unique personal attribute and the reservation datathereby upon validating the at least one unique personal attributeenabling a defined set of vehicle controls.

According to another broad aspect, there is a system for sharing andmonitoring shared use of a vehicle. The system comprises: at least onetelematic device, at least one unique personal attribute, at least onecomputing device, and at least one server. The at least one telematicdevice is associated with a vehicle and capable to communicate with avehicle and a communication network. The at least one telematic devicemonitoring the vehicle to log and communicate shared vehicle data. Theat least one unique personal attribute capable to be associated with theat least one telematic device. The at least one server capable tocommunicate with at least one telematic device. The at least one serverreceiving a reservation request for reserving a vehicle. The at leastone server validating the reservation request and providing a validatedreservation request indicative of the unique personal attribute to theat least one telematic device thereby providing a secured personalreservation with the vehicle for sharing and monitoring use of theshared vehicle.

According to another broad aspect, there is a device for sharing andmonitoring shared use of a vehicle. The device comprises at least onetelematic device and at least one unique personal attribute. The atleast one telematic device associated with a vehicle and capable tocommunicate with a vehicle and other devices over a communicationnetwork. The at least one telematic device monitoring the vehicle to logand communicate shared vehicle data. The at least one unique personalattribute capable to be associated with the at least one telematicdevice. The at least one telematic device receiving from at least oneserver a validated reservation request indicative of the unique personalattribute thereby providing a secured personal reservation with thevehicle for sharing and monitoring use of the vehicle.

According to another broad aspect, there is a method for sharing andmonitoring shared use of a vehicle. The method comprises: receiving at aserver a reservation request, validating the reservation request,validating the reservation request including a unique personal attributeand a reservation authentication, sending a validated reservationrequest indicative of the unique personal attribute to at least onetelematic device associated with the vehicle, the validated reservationrequest enabling concurrent use of the vehicle and concurrent monitoringof shared vehicle data associated with the unique personal attribute toprovide shared vehicle management.

According to another broad aspect, there is a system for shared vehicleutilization management. The system comprises: at least one telematicdevice, at least one unique personal attribute and a vehicle shareplatform. The at least one telematic device associated with a vehicleand capable to communicate with a vehicle and other devices over acommunication network. The at least one telematic device monitoring thevehicle to log and communicate shared vehicle data. The at least oneunique personal attribute capable to be associated with the at least onetelematic device. The at least one telematic device capable tocommunicate the shared vehicle data to the vehicle share platform. Fromthe beginning of an active vehicle share reservation to the completionof the vehicle share reservation, the telematic device communicating theshared vehicle data to the vehicle share platform. For each of the atleast one unique personal attribute, the vehicle share platformprocessing the shared vehicle data and reservation data for providingshared vehicle management for a shared vehicle thereby determining amatch for an available vehicle and a vehicle share reservationassociated to the at least one unique personal attribute.

According to another broad aspect, there is a device for shared vehicleutilization management. The device comprises at least one telematicdevice and at least one unique personal attribute. The at least onetelematic device associated with a vehicle and capable to communicatewith a vehicle and other devices over a communication network. The atleast one telematic device monitoring the vehicle to log and communicateshared vehicle data. The at least one unique personal attribute capableto be associated with the at least one telematic device. The at leastone telematic device capable to communicate the shared vehicle data tothe vehicle share platform. From the beginning of an active vehicleshare reservation to the completion of the vehicle share reservation,the telematic device communicating the shared vehicle data to thevehicle share platform. For each of the at least one unique personalattribute, the vehicle share platform processing the shared vehicle dataand reservation data for providing shared vehicle management for ashared vehicle thereby determining a match for an available vehicle anda vehicle share reservation associated to the at least one uniquepersonal attribute.

According to another broad aspect, there is a method for shared vehicleutilization management. The method comprises: receiving in a telematicdevice from a vehicle share platform a vehicle share reservation,subsequent to the receiving a vehicle share reservation, receiving anindication of a unique personal attribute capable to be associated witha telematic device and the vehicle, initiating an active vehiclereservation, from the beginning of the active vehicle reservation to thecompletion of the vehicle share reservation, monitoring the sharedvehicle and communicating shared vehicle data to the vehicle shareplatform, processing on the vehicle share platform the shared vehicledata with reservation data for providing shared vehicle management for afuture shared vehicle thereby determining a match for an availablevehicle for the future shared vehicle associated to at least one uniquepersonal attribute.

According to another broad aspect, there is a system for shared vehiclemaintenance management. The system comprises at least one telematicdevice, at least one unique personal attribute and a vehicle managementplatform. The at least one telematic device associated with a vehicleand capable to communicate with the vehicle and other devices over acommunication network. The at least one telematic device monitoring thevehicle to log and communicate shared vehicle data. The at least oneunique personal attribute capable to be associated with the at least onetelematic device. The at least one telematic device capable tocommunicate the shared vehicle data to the vehicle management platform.From the beginning of an active vehicle share reservation to thecompletion of the vehicle share reservation, the telematic devicecommunicating the shared vehicle data to the vehicle managementplatform. For each of the at least one unique personal attribute, thevehicle management platform for processing the shared vehicle data andreservation data providing shared vehicle maintenance identification forthe shared vehicle thereby determining the maintenance requirementsbetween reservations of the shared vehicle.

In another broad aspect, there is a device for shared vehiclemaintenance management. The device comprises at least one telematicdevice and at least one unique personal attribute. The at least onetelematic device associated with a vehicle and capable to communicatewith a vehicle and other devices over a communication network. The atleast one telematic device monitoring the vehicle to log and communicateshared vehicle data. The at least one unique personal attribute capableto be associated with the at least one telematic device. The at leastone telematic device capable to communicate the shared vehicle data to avehicle management platform. From the beginning of an active vehicleshare reservation to the completion of the vehicle share reservation.The telematic device communicating the shared vehicle data to thevehicle management platform. For each of the at least one uniquepersonal attribute, the vehicle management platform processing theshared vehicle data and reservation data providing shared vehiclemaintenance identification for the shared vehicle thereby determiningthe maintenance requirements between reservation of the shared vehicle.

In another broad aspect, there is a method for shared vehiclemaintenance management. The method comprising: receiving in a telematicdevice from a vehicle share platform a vehicle share reservation,subsequent to the receiving a vehicle share reservation, receiving anindication of a unique personal attribute capable to be associated witha telematic device and the shared vehicle, initiating an active vehiclereservation, from the beginning of the active vehicle reservation to thecompletion of the vehicle share reservation, monitoring the sharedvehicle and communicating shared vehicle data to a vehicle maintenanceplatform, processing the shared vehicle data and reservation dataproviding shared vehicle maintenance identification for the sharedvehicle thereby determining the maintenance requirements betweenreservations of the shared vehicle.

In another broad aspect, there is a system for vehicle sharecommunication with impeded access to a communication network. The systemcomprises: a plurality of telematic devices associated with vehicles, avehicle share platform, a plurality of communication devices, and atleast one unique personal attribute. The vehicle share managementplatform capable to communicate with a communication network. At leastone of the plurality of telematic devices or at least one of theplurality of communication devices capable to communicate with acommunication network. Wherein one of the plurality of telematic devicescommunicates to identify one of the at least one unique personalattribute, the one of the plurality of telematic devices communicates insequence to the plurality of telematic devices until a connection to thecommunication network is established permitting connection to thevehicle share platform for access to a shared vehicle.

In another broad aspect, there is a system for identifying vehicle sharemisuse. The system comprises: at least one telematic device, at leastone unique personal attribute and a vehicle share platform. The at leastone telematic device associated with a vehicle and capable tocommunicate with a vehicle and other devices over a communicationnetwork. The at least one telematic device monitoring the vehicle to logand communicate shared vehicle data. The at least one unique personalattribute capable to be associated with the at least one telematicdevice. The at least one telematic device capable to communicate theshared vehicle data to the vehicle share platform. The at least onetelematic device receiving reservation data, the reservation dataincluding vehicle share limits. The at least one telematic deviceidentifying the at least one unique personal attribute associated withthe reservation data and the vehicle share limits. Thereby processingthe shared vehicle data with the vehicle share limits and communicatinga misuse event to the vehicle share platform upon a detected misuse ofthe shared vehicle.

In another broad aspect, there is a device for identifying vehicle sharemisuse. The device comprises at least one telematic device and at leastone unique personal attribute. The at least one telematic deviceassociated with a vehicle and capable to communicate with a vehicle andother devices over a communication network. The at least one telematicdevice monitoring the vehicle to log and communicate shared vehicledata. The at least one unique personal attribute capable to beassociated with the at least one telematic device. The at least onetelematic device capable to communicate the shared vehicle data to avehicle share platform. The at least one telematic device receivingreservation data from the vehicle share platform, the reservation dataincluding vehicle share limits. The at least one telematic deviceidentifying the at least one unique personal attribute associated withthe reservation data and the vehicle share limits. Thereby, processingthe shared vehicle data with the vehicle share limits and communicatinga misuse event to the vehicle share platform upon a detected misuse ofthe shared vehicle.

In another broad aspect, there is a method for identifying vehicle sharemisuse. The method comprises: receiving reservation data includingvehicle share limits in a telematic device, monitoring a vehicle by saidtelematic device to log shared vehicle data, communicating the vehicledata to the vehicle share platform, identifying at least one uniquepersonal attribute associated with the reservation data and the vehicleshare limits, communicating a misuse event to the vehicle share platformupon a detected misuse of the shared vehicle.

In another broad aspect, there is a system for vehicle share storagemanagement. The system comprises: at least one telematic device, atleast one unique personal attribute and a vehicle share platform. The atleast one telematic device associated with a vehicle and capable tocommunicate with a vehicle and other devices over a communicationnetwork. The at least one telematic device monitoring the vehicle to logand communicate shared vehicle data. The at least one unique personalattribute capable to be associated with the at least one telematicdevice. The at least one telematic device capable to communicate theshared vehicle data to the vehicle share platform. The vehicle sharedplatform having access to historical vehicle data. The vehicle shareplatform having access to historical vehicle share customer data.Wherein the vehicle share platform processes the historical vehicle dataand the historical vehicle share customer data to identify an optimallocation to store the vehicle based upon customer requirements.

In another broad aspect, there is a device for vehicle share storagemanagement. The device comprises at least one telematic device and atleast one unique personal attribute. The at least one telematic deviceassociated with a vehicle and capable to communicate with a vehicle andother devices over a communication network. The at least one telematicdevice monitoring the vehicle to log and communicate shared vehicledata. The one unique personal attribute capable to be associated withthe at lest one telematic device. The at least one telematic devicecapable to communicate the shared vehicle data to a vehicle shareplatform. The vehicle share platform having access to historical vehicledata. The vehicle share platform having access to historical vehicleshare customer data. Wherein the vehicle share platform processes thehistorical vehicle data and the historical vehicle share customer datato identify an optimal location to store the vehicle based upon customerrequirements.

In another broad aspect, there is a method for vehicle share storagemanagement. The method comprises: receiving historical vehicle data, thehistorical vehicle data indicative of vehicle share use, receivinghistorical vehicle share customer data, processing the historicalvehicle data and the historical vehicle share customer data to identifyan optimal location to store the vehicle based upon customerrequirements.

In embodiments, the at least one telematic device includes a sensor foridentifying the at least one unique personal attribute with the securedpersonal reservation to validate a reservation.

In embodiments, the sensor is a biometric sensor for sensing biometricfeatures relating to the at least one unique personal attribute tovalidate a reservation. In embodiments, the biometric features and theat least one unique personal attribute are selected from the groupconsisting of a face, a fingerprint, an eye or voice.

In embodiments, the sensor is a proximity sensor for sensing a proximaldevice relating to the at least one unique personal attribute tovalidate a reservation. In embodiments, the proximal device is an RFIDtag relating to the at least one unique personal attribute. Inembodiments the proximal device is a proximity card relating to the atleast one unique personal attribute.

In embodiments, the sensor includes wireless communication for sensing apersonal device relating to the at least one unique personal attributeto validate a reservation. In embodiments, the personal device isselected from the group consisting of a smart phone, a smart watch, asmart fob, or a vehicle share app installed on a smart device.

In embodiments, the telematic device includes at least one vehicleinterface for monitoring the vehicle. In embodiments, the at least onevehicle interface is selected from the group of an OBDII connection, anindirect connection to a vehicle bus or a physical connection to avehicle bus.

In embodiments, the telematic device includes a vehicle portion and avehicle share portion. In embodiments, the vehicle portion includes amicroprocessor, memory and firmware for monitoring, logging andcommunicating the shared vehicle data.

In embodiments, the shared vehicle data is selected from the group ofspeed data, location data, accelerometer data and engine data. Inembodiments, the shared vehicle data provides indications of vehicle useand the indications of vehicle use are associated with at least oneunique personal attribute. In embodiments, the vehicle data is selectedfrom the group of fluid level data, energy level data or location data.In embodiments, vehicle use indicates maintenance and the shared vehicledata is selected from the group of energy level data, oil level data,coolant level data, washer fluid level data or location data. Inembodiments, vehicle use indicates recovery and the shared vehicle datais selected from the group of accelerometer data, fluid level data,energy level data or location data. In embodiments, vehicle useindicates misuse and the shared vehicle data is selected from the groupof accelerometer data or location data. In embodiments, the sharedvehicle data further includes speed data and indications of harsh eventsfrom accelerometer data.

In embodiments, the vehicle share portion includes a microprocessor,memory and firmware for permitting operation of the vehicle based uponthe secured personal reservation. In embodiments, operation of thevehicle is restricted to unlocking and locking the vehicle in amaintenance mode. In embodiments, operation of the vehicle is restrictedto a geofence area of operation of the vehicle within a defined space orrange. In embodiments, operation of the vehicle is restricted to a dateand time of us.

In embodiments, the validated reservation request includes vehiclesharing permissions. In embodiments, the vehicle sharing permissionspertain to a date and time. In embodiments, the vehicle sharingpermissions are activities selected from the group of early check in,normal check in, late check in, or late check out.

In embodiments, the vehicle sharing permissions include select vehiclecommands for operating the vehicle. In embodiments, the vehicle commandsare selected from the group of unlock doors, lock doors, vehicle start,prevent vehicle start, a geofence limitation or a route limitation. Inembodiments, the vehicle commands are a group of commands associatedwith a maintenance activity. In embodiments, the vehicle commands are agroup of commands associated with a recovery activity. In embodimentsthe vehicle commands are a group of commands associated with a cleaningactivity. In embodiments, the vehicle commands are a group of commandsfor limited use of the vehicle. In embodiments, the vehicle commands area group of commands for unlimited use of the vehicle.

In embodiments, the at least one telematic device includes a sensor foridentifying the at least one unique personal attribute to associate theat least one unique personal attribute with the shared vehicle data. Inembodiments, the sensor is a proximity sensor for sensing a proximaldevice relating to the at least one personal attribute.

In embodiments, the reservation data includes at least one of a purposeof vehicle use, preferred start location, preferred stop location,vehicle type, length of use, distance required, energy required orparked location.

In embodiments, the shared vehicle data includes at least one of energyat start of an active reservation, energy replenishment, energy atcompletion of a reservation, actual start location, actual stop locationor fluid levels.

In embodiments, the reservation data includes at least one of a purposeof vehicle use, preferred start location, preferred stop location,vehicle type, length of use, distance required, energy required orparked location and the shared vehicle data includes at least one ofenergy at start of an active reservation energy replenishment, energy atcompletion of a reservation, actual start location, actual stop locationor fluid levels.

In embodiments, the preferred start location and the actual location areprocessed by the vehicle share platform to determine the match and thematch is a best match based upon location data. In embodiments, thedistance required and the energy at completion of a reservation areprocessed by the vehicle share platform to determine the match and thematch is a best match based upon energy data. In embodiments, thepreferred start location and the actual location are processed by thevehicle share platform with a threshold to determine the match and thematch is an acceptable match based upon the threshold. In embodiments,the vehicle share platform provides a vehicle share incentive with theacceptable match. In embodiments, the distance required, and the energystate completion of a reservation are processed by the vehicle shareplatform to determine the match and the match is an acceptable matchedbased upon energy data. In embodiments, the vehicle share platformprovides a vehicle share incentive with the acceptable match. Inembodiments, the vehicle share platform processing the shared vehicledata and reservation data for providing shared vehicle management for ashared vehicle thereby determining a best match for an available vehicleand a vehicle share reservation associated to at least one uniquepersonal attribute.

In embodiments, the indication is a biometric indication. Inembodiments, the biometric indication is selected from the groupconsisting of a face, a fingerprint, an eye or voice relating to theunique personal attribute. In embodiments, the indication is a proximalindication. In embodiments, the proximal indication is one of a RFID tagor a proximity card relating to the unique personal attribute. Inembodiments, the indication is a personal device indication. Inembodiments, the personal device indication is selected from the groupconsisting of a smart phone, a smart watch, a smart fob or a vehicleshare app installed on a smart device. In embodiments, the sharedvehicle data provides indications of vehicle use and the indications ofvehicle use are associated with the unique personal attribute.

In embodiments, receiving reservation data, the reservation dataincluding at least one of a purpose of vehicle use, preferred startlocation, preferred stop location, vehicle type, length of use, distancerequired, energy required or parked location. In embodiments, receivingreservation data, the reservation data having at least one purpose ofvehicle use, preferred start location, preferred stop location, vehicletype, length of use, distance required, energy required or parkedlocation and the shared vehicle data having at least one of energy atstart of the active reservation, energy replenishment, energy atcompletion of the active reservation, actual start location, actual stoplocation or fluid levels.

In embodiments, processing the preferred start location and the actuallocation to determine the match and the match is a best match based uponlocation data. In embodiments, processing the energy at completion of areservation and the distance required to determine the match and thematch is a best match based upon energy data. In embodiments, processingthe start location and the actual location with a threshold to determinethe match and the match is an acceptable match based upon the locationdata. In embodiments, processing the distance required and the energy atcompletion of a reservation to determine the match and the match is anacceptable match based upon energy data. In embodiments, providing avehicle share incentive with an acceptable match.

In embodiments, the parked location and the energy at completion areprocessed to determine an energy maintenance event. In embodiments, theenergy maintenance even includes recovery of the vehicle.

In embodiments, the parked location and the fluid levels are processedto determine a fluid level maintenance event.

In embodiments, the location and the accelerometer indications areprocessed to determine an accident maintenance event. In embodiments,the accident maintenance event includes recovery of the vehicle.

In embodiments, the location and engine data are processed to determinean engine maintenance event.

In embodiments, when the plurality of telematic devices fail toestablish a connection to the communication network and furthercommunicate in sequence to the plurality of communication devices untila connection to said communication network is established permitting theconnection to the vehicle share platform for access to a shared vehicle.

In embodiments, the communication network is selected from the groupconsisting of satellite, WIFI, hotspot, Bluetooth or cellularcommunication. In embodiments, the communication network is a mix ofcommunication networks. In embodiments, the mix of communication is amix of satellite, WIFI, hotspot, Bluetooth or cellular communication.

In embodiments, the telematic devices are capable for communication withthe shared vehicle and the shared vehicle is capable for communicationwith the communication network.

In embodiments, including a telematic vehicle share I/O expander, thetelematic devices are capable for communication with the telematicvehicle share I/O expander. In embodiments, the telematic devices arecapable for communication with the communication network. Inembodiments, the telematic vehicle share I/O expander is capable forcommunication with the communication network. In embodiments, thetelematic vehicle share I/O expander is capable to communicate with thecommunication devices.

In embodiments, a misuse event is selected from the group consisting ofan invalid user, invalid reservation, movement event, location event,harsh event, speed event, geofence event or a biometric event.

In embodiments, a misuse event triggers communicating location data ofthe vehicle to the vehicle share platform to track the vehicle. Inembodiments, the invalid user is detected by comparing the at least oneunique personal attribute with the reservation data and the misuse eventtriggers communicating location data of the vehicle to the vehicle shareplatform to track the vehicle. In embodiments, the invalid reservationis detected by comparing the at least one unique personal attribute withthe reservation data and the misuse event triggers communicatinglocation data of the vehicle to the vehicle share platform to track thevehicle. In embodiments, the movement event is detected by comparingengine data obtained from the at least one telematic device withreservation data to determine movement and an invalid reservation andthe misuse event triggers communicating location data of the vehicle tothe vehicle share platform to track the vehicle. In embodiments, thelocation event is detected by comparing location data obtained from theat least one telematic device with the reservation data to determine aninvalid location of the vehicle and the location event triggerscommunicating location data of the vehicle to the vehicle share platformto track the vehicle. In embodiments, the harsh event is detected bycomparing accelerometer data with harsh event thresholds to determine aharsh event and trigger communicating a harsh event indication with theat least one unique personal attribute to the vehicle share platform. Inembodiments, the speed event is detected by comparing engine data or GPSdata with speed event thresholds to determine a speed event and triggercommunicating a speed event indication with the at least one uniquepersonal attribute to the vehicle share platform. In embodiments, thegeofence event is detected by comparing GPS data of the vehicle with thereservation data to determine a geofence violation and the geofenceevent triggers communicating location data of the vehicle to the vehicleshare platform to track the vehicle.

In embodiments, historical vehicle data is selected from the group ofstart location data, distance data, finish location data, energyconsumed data, energy remaining data or route data.

In embodiments, historical vehicle share customer data is selected fromthe group of start location data, distance data, finish location data orenergy required data.

In embodiments, optional location is a floating location based upon thehistorical vehicle data and the historical vehicle share customer data.In embodiments, optional location is a particular depot based upon thehistorical vehicle data and the historical vehicle share customer data.In embodiments, optimal location requires vehicle location based uponthe historical vehicle data and the historical vehicle share customerdata. In embodiments, the optimal location is based upon a day of theweek. In embodiments, the optimal location is based upon particular daysof the month.

In embodiments, the vehicle share platform communicates a vehiclerelocation request. In embodiments, the relocation request is a floatinglocation request for moving the vehicle to a floating location. Inembodiments, the relocation request is a particular depot request formoving the vehicle to a particular depot location.

In embodiments, the telematic device communicating with the vehicleshare I/O expander to send and receive commands and vehicle share data,the telematic device for monitoring, logging and communicating thevehicle share data to a remote device.

In embodiments, the at least one internal interface includes biometriccircuitry and the at least one unique personal attribute is a biometricattribute. In embodiments, the biometric attribute is selected from thegroup of face data, fingerprint data, voice data or eye data.

In embodiments, the at least one internal interface includescommunication circuitry and the at least one unique personal attributeis a personal device. In embodiments, the personal device is selectedfrom the group of a smart phone, a smart watch, a smart device, or anapp on a smart device.

In embodiments, the at least one internal interface includes proximitycircuitry and the at least one unique personal attribute is a proximitydevice.

In embodiments, there is an area to restrict sensing and communicationwithin the vehicle. In embodiments, the area to restrict sensing andcommunication houses an electronic vehicle key device. In embodiments,the electronic vehicle key device is coupled to the telematic vehicleshare I/O expander for communication with vehicle.

In embodiments, the at least one internal interface is for connecting toa vehicle bus to send and receive vehicle commands.

In embodiments, the at least one internal interface is for connecting toa digital switch and the digital switch is for connecting to a vehiclebus to enable activation and deactivation of the vehicle. Inembodiments, the digital switch is a relay.

In embodiments, the telematic vehicle share I/O expander includes aplurality of internal interfaces. In embodiments, the plurality ofinternal interfaces connect to circuitry selected from the group ofdigital switch circuitry, communications circuitry, vehicle bus or anelectronic vehicle key device. In embodiments, the plurality of internalinterfaces enable the defined set of controls to activate or deactivatevehicle features. In embodiments, the plurality of internal interfacesconnect to circuitry selected from the group of biometric circuitry,proximity circuitry, communications circuitry. In embodiments, theplurality of internal interfaces enable recognition of a valid at leastone unique personal attribute.

In embodiments, telematic vehicle share I/O expander receivesreservation data and the reservation data enables validation of theunique personal attribute. In embodiments, the reservation data enablesthe defined set of controls to activate or deactivate vehicle features.

In embodiments, defined set of controls are limited sets of controls. Inembodiments, defined set of controls are an unlimited set of controls.In embodiments, defined sets of controls are limited and selected fromthe group of open, unlock, lock, start, stop or geofence.

In embodiments, the telematic device receives reservation data and thereservation data enables validation of the unique personal attribute. Inembodiments, the reservation data enables the defined set of controls toactivate or deactivate vehicle features.

In embodiments, monitoring the vehicle to log and communicate vehicleshare data to a remote device.

In embodiments, upon validating the one unique personal attribute,communicating the defined set of vehicle controls to a vehicle bus. Inembodiments, upon validating the one unique personal attribute,monitoring the vehicle for vehicle data. In embodiments, sensing the atleast one unique personal attribute is sensing a biometric attribute. Inembodiments, the biometric attribute is selected from the group of facedata, fingerprint data, voice data or eye data. In embodiments, sensingthe at least one unique personal attribute is sensing a personal deviceattribute. In embodiments, the personal device attribute is selectedfrom the group of a smart phone, a smart watch, a smart device, or anapp on a smart device. In embodiments, sensing the at least one uniquepersonal attribute is sensing a proximity device.

In embodiments, restricting sensing and communication of an electronicvehicle key device and emulating electronic vehicle key signals.

In embodiments, connecting to a vehicle bus to send and receive thedefined set of vehicle controls. In embodiments, enabling a number ofinterfaces for communicating the defined set of controls to activate ordeactivate vehicle features. In embodiments, the defined set of vehiclecontrols is a limited set of controls based upon the reservation data.In embodiments, the defined set of vehicle controls is an unlimited setof controls based upon the reservation data.

In embodiments, enabling a digital switch to enable activation anddeactivation of the vehicle.

These and other aspects and features of non-limiting embodiments areapparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the followingdetailed description of the non-limiting embodiments and theaccompanying drawings. Further, it should be appreciated that theforegoing concepts, and additional concepts described below, may bearranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is notlimited in this respect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary non-limiting embodiments are described with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1a is a high-level diagrammatic view of a telematic vehicle sharingecosystem;

FIG. 1b is a high-level diagrammatic view of inter-vehicle communicationwithin the telematic vehicle sharing ecosystem;

FIG. 1c is a high-level diagrammatic view of inter-device communicationwithin the telematic vehicle sharing ecosystem;

FIG. 2a is a high-level diagrammatic view of a telematic vehicle sharingplatform with a vehicle and associated hardware components including aunique personal attribute detection;

FIG. 2b is a high-level diagrammatic view of a telematic vehicle sharingplatform with a vehicle and associated hardware components including asmart device embodiment of the unique personal attribute communication;

FIG. 2c is a high-level diagrammatic view of a telematic vehicle sharingplatform with a vehicle and associated hardware components including abiometric sensing embodiment of the unique personal attribute;

FIG. 2d is a high-level diagrammatic view of a telematic vehicle sharingplatform with a vehicle and associated hardware components including aproximity sensing embodiment of the unique personal attribute;

FIG. 2e is a high-level diagrammatic view of a telematic vehicle sharingplatform with a vehicle and associated hardware components includingreservation packages with reservation data;

FIG. 2f is a high-level diagrammatic view of a telematic vehicle sharingplatform with associated hardware components illustrating data flow andcommand flow within the system;

FIG. 3a is a high-level diagrammatic view of the telematic vehiclesharing hardware including a vehicle, telematic device and telematicvehicle share I/O expander with a unique personal attribute sensorinterface;

FIG. 3b is a high-level diagrammatic view of the telematic vehiclesharing hardware including a vehicle, telematic device and a telematicvehicle share I/O expander with a unique personal attributecommunications interface;

FIG. 3c is a high-level diagrammatic view of the telematic vehiclesharing hardware including a vehicle, telematic device and a telematicvehicle share I/O expander with a plurality of interfaces including anauxiliary interface;

FIG. 4 is a state machine representation of the distributed vehiclesharing logic;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart representation of the reservation logic;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart representation of the wait for reservation logic;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart representation of the reservation authenticationlogic;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart representation of the active reservation logic;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart representation of the completed reservationlogic;

FIG. 10a is a flow chart representation of telematic vehicle sharing andmonitoring;

FIG. 10b is another flow chart representation of telematic vehiclesharing and monitoring;

FIG. 10c is another flow chart representation of telematic vehiclesharing and monitoring;

FIG. 11a is a flow chart representation of telematic vehicle shareutilization service management;

FIG. 11b is a flow chart representation of telematic vehicle shareutilization service management;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart representation of telematic vehicle sharemaintenance and recovery service management;

FIG. 13a is a high-level diagrammatic view of vehicle sharecommunication management;

FIG. 13b is a flow chart representation of telematic vehicle sharecommunication management;

FIG. 14a is a flow chart representation of telematic vehicle sharemisuse management;

FIG. 14b is a flow chart representation of telematic vehicle sharemisuse management;

FIG. 14c is a flow chart representation of telematic vehicle sharemisuse management;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart representation of telematic vehicle sharestorage management;

FIG. 16 is a flow chart representation of telematic vehicle shareprocurement management; and

FIG. 17 is a flow chart representation of telematic vehicle sharevehicle selection management.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale and are diagrammaticrepresentations of the exemplary non-limiting embodiments of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Telematic Vehicle Sharing Platform Ecosystem

A telematic vehicle sharing platform ecosystem is introduced anddescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 a, 1 b and 1 c of the drawings. Thetelematic vehicle sharing platform ecosystem is generally indicated at38. The ecosystem includes a telematic vehicle sharing platform. Thetelematic vehicle sharing platform may be a single platform or acombination of separate platforms performing the functions of vehicleshare reservations, vehicle share management and vehicle shareanalytics. Each platform may include a server or a collection of serversrunning software. In embodiments, telematic vehicle sharing platformincludes a vehicle reservation platform 10 for managing shared vehiclereservations, a vehicle management platform 12 for managing the fleet ofshared vehicles, and a vehicle share analytics platform 14 for providinganalytic support and data processing to the reservation platform 10 andthe vehicle management platform 12. Associated with the vehiclereservation platform 10, the vehicle management platform 12 and thevehicle share analytics platform 14 are telematic devices, servers,software, communications technology and cloud-based technology.

The telematic vehicle sharing platform ecosystem 38 includes acommunication network generally indicated at 24 to permit communicationbetween components and devices of the ecosystem. The communicationnetwork is generally a mix of communication technologies such assatellite, cellular, WIFI, nearfield and Bluetooth. The vehiclereservation platform 10 is capable for communication 24 a in theecosystem. The vehicle management platform 12 is capable forcommunication 24 b in the ecosystem. The vehicle share analyticsplatform 14 is also capable for communication 24 c in the ecosystem.This communication may occur between the platforms or between servers,components and devices in the ecosystem.

The telematic vehicle sharing platform ecosystem 38 also includescomputing devices 16. These devices are capable for communication 24 din the ecosystem and may be stand-alone computers, portable computers,tables or smart devices. Generally, the computing devices provide accessto users 18 of the vehicle share system. For example, users 18 may be inthe role of reservation services accessing the vehicle reservationplatform 10. Users 18 may also be in the role of shared vehiclemanagement accessing the vehicle management platform 12. Users may alsobe in the role of providing vehicle repair or maintenance accessing thevehicle management platform 12. Users 18 may also be in the role ofproviding vehicle share fleet management accessing the vehicle shareanalytics platform 14. Vehicle share users 18 may book reservationsusing a computer device 16 accessing the vehicle reservation platform10. Typically, however, users 18 make a reservation through a personaldevice or smart device such as a smart phone.

A fleet of vehicles for sharing is generally indicated at 26. The fleetmay be a mix of vehicles such as cars, trucks or buses. The mix ofvehicles may be electric, hybrid, or gas. Each vehicle is equipped witha telematic device 28. The telematic device 28 may be integral to thevehicle 22. Alternatively, the telematic device 28 is added to a vehicle22. The telematic device 28 is capable for communication 24 e with otherdevices in the ecosystem. The telematic device 28 is for vehiclemonitoring, vehicle commands and vehicle sharing capabilities. Vehiclemonitoring involves logging and communicating vehicle data, sharedvehicle data, and other data to a remote platform. The telematic device28 is also capable of sending and receiving vehicle commands. Thetelematic device 28 includes a vehicle interface. There may be more thanone vehicle interface. The vehicle interface may be an OBDII interface,or an indirect interface or a physical interface to the vehicle. Thetelematic device 28 may also include one or more sensors. The sensorsmay be a biometric sensor for sensing biometric features such as a face,fingerprint, eye or voice. The sensors may be a proximity sensor tosense for example an RFID tag or proximity card. The sensors may be aproximal sensor to sense a proximal device. The proximal device may be asmart phone, a smart watch, a smart fob or a vehicle share app on asmart device. The telematic device 28 may be a sole device.Alternatively, the telematic device 28 may have a first portion 28 a anda second portion 28 b. The first portion 28 a may be a vehicle portiontelematic device for monitoring a vehicle and logging vehicle data. Thesecond portion 28 b may be a vehicle share portion to enabling ordisabling a vehicle share. The second portion 28 b may also be atelematic vehicle share I/O expander to expand the functionality of thefirst portion 28 a. Either the first portion 28 a or the second portion28 b may send and receive vehicle commands.

Vehicle monitoring by the telematic device 28 provides shared vehicledata to the platforms. Broadly, shared vehicle data provides indicationsto vehicle share use by each individual during an active reservation.Shared vehicle data also provides indications towards vehicle status andmaintenance. Shared vehicle data includes speed data, location data,accelerometer data, engine data, fluid level data (oil, coolant, washerfluid) and energy levels. Energy levels may be battery power, fuel levelor a combination of both. Collectively, the shared vehicle data may becombined and assessed to provide indications such as the type of vehicleuse or misuse, maintenance, recovery, location and suitability of avehicle 22 for the next vehicle share or recovery of the vehicle 22. Forexample, accelerometer data may provide indications of harsh events anda misuse event of the vehicle. Speed data may provide an indication of amisuse event for the vehicle with respect to speeding. Other data mayprovide indications of other vehicle share events.

Vehicle sharing by the telematic device 28 relates to ensuring there isan actual vehicle reservation by receiving over the communicationnetwork 24 a secured personal reservation. A secured personalreservation may be in the form of a reservation package, a securedreservation package and it may contain reservation data. A securedpersonal reservation may be activated or validated by sensing orreceiving a unique personal attribute 20 associated with a user andvehicle reservation. Vehicle sharing permits either unlimited access anduse of the shared vehicle or limited access and use to the sharedvehicle. In a maintenance mode or event, operation may be restricted tounlock and lock of the shared vehicle. In a cleaning mode or event,operation may also be restricted to unlock and lock of the sharedvehicle. The modes and events may also be set by a type orclassification of user, for example cleaner. The shared vehicle may alsobe limited to a date, or a time or a date and time of reservation. Ashared vehicle may be limited to specific routes and tracked against aspecific route. Alternatively, a shared vehicle may be limited to ageofence area and tracked against the area.

A particular vehicle 22 for sharing may be identified from the vehicleshare fleet 26. A first type of identification is through associationwith a particular telematic device 28 installed or resident within thevehicle. A second type of identification is through association of asecured personal reservation received within the telematic device 28.Access to the particular vehicle 22 is obtained by sensing or detectingthe unique personal attribute 20 within proximity to the vehicle 22. Onenon-limiting way of sensing or detecting the unique personal attribute20 is through communication 24 g with the telematic device 28.Alternatively, the unique personal attribute 20 may be communicated 24 findirectly to the telematic device 28.

The unique personal attribute 20 may be formed as biometric feature datasuch as a face, fingerprint, eye or voice. It may also be formed asproximal device data such as near field communication with an RFID tagor proximity card or badge. It may also be formed as a personal devicesuch as a smart device, a smart phone, a smart watch, a smart fob or avehicle share app installed on a smart device.

Communication within the communication network 24 may be impeded withrespect to the telematic devices 28. This may occur for example when thevehicle share fleet 26 is stored within a multi-level parking garage.This may limit the telematic device 28 from receiving a secured personalreservation. When this occurs, sensing or detecting the unique personalattribute 20 by the telematic device 28 will not activate the vehicleshare reservation. In order to ensure or restore communication withinthe communication network 24, each of the telematic devices 28 mayintercommunicate 24 h with other telematic devices 28 in a sequence orchain to establish communication 24 e with the communication network 24.This ensures that the telematic devices 28 may receive secured personalreservations that may be validated by the telematic device 28 whensensing or detecting the unique personal attribute 20.

Telematic Device & Vehicle Share Ecosystem

Referring now to FIGS. 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e and 2f , embodiments of thetelematic device 28 and vehicle share ecosystem 38 communication aredescribed.

The telematics device 28 may include a first portion 28 a and a secondportion 28 b. The first portion 28 a and the second portion 28 b maycommunicate directly. The first portion 28 a may communicate to vehiclecomponents 36 in the vehicle either through an OBDII interface 32 or aCAN Bus interface 34. The first portion may monitor commands and signalsconcerning the vehicle components 36. Alternatively, the first portionmay also send and receive commands and signals to and from vehiclecomponents 36. Vehicle components 36 include various devices foroperation and control of the vehicle. For example, vehicle components 36may be the mechanical components to lock and unlock a vehicle. The firstportion 28 a may send a command to unlock the vehicle or lock thevehicle thereby actuating the mechanical components to unlock or lockthe vehicle. Other vehicle components 36 may be sensors for fluid levelssuch as oil level, coolant level and washer fluid level. The firstportion 28 a may send a command to receive a fluid level or the firstportion 28 a may monitor the vehicle components 36 to obtain a fluidlevel.

The first portion 28 a may also include a GPS 56 capability and anaccelerometer 54 capability. The GPS 56 may be monitored to determinethe latitude and longitude of the vehicle at a given time or date. TheGPS 56 may also be monitored to determine the speed of the vehicle 22.The accelerometer 54 may be monitored to determine accelerations of thevehicle 22 to provide indications of vehicle use or misuse and harshevents. Overall, the first portion 28 a and the data associated with thefirst portion 28 a are typically applied to monitoring shared use of thevehicle, utilization management of the shared vehicle, maintenance orrecovery of the shared vehicle, communication management, identifyingmisuse of the shared vehicle and storage management of the sharedvehicle. Monitoring occurs from the beginning of an active vehicle sharereservation until the completion of a vehicle share reservation.Activation occurs with the unique personal attribute. Completion occurswhen the vehicle 22 is properly located and secured.

In an embodiment, the section portion 28 b is in the form of a telematicvehicle share I/O expander to expand the functionality of the firstportion 28 a. The second portion 28 b may communicate with the firstportion 28 a. Typically, vehicle commands and signals may becommunicated to vehicle components 36 through the first portion 28 a.The second portion 28 b may also detect 40 the unique personal attribute20 associated with a vehicle reservation. When the unique personalattribute 20 is a smart device, such as a vehicle share app 30 disposedwith the smart device, the detection is in the form of unique personalattribute communication through communication circuitry 40 a. Thecommunication 24 g may be from the unique personal attribute 20 or thecommunication 24 g may be from the communication circuitry 40 a or thecommunication 24 g may be bidirectional. When the unique personalattribute 20 is a biometric feature, the detection is in the form ofreading or sensing through biometric sensor circuitry 40 b. When theunique personal attribute 20 is a proximal device, the detection is inthe form of reading or sensing through proximity sensor circuitry 40 c.Overall, the second portion 28 b and the data associated with the secondportion 28 b are typically applied to confirming a valid vehicle sharereservation, activating the vehicle share reservation, identifying theuse for the vehicle share reservation, determining permissions orlimits, access and control (limited or unlimited) of the vehicle andidentifying and validating the user with the vehicle share reservation.

In embodiments, communication is structured within the vehicle shareecosystem 38. The vehicle share analytics platform 14 may communicate 24c with the vehicle share management platform 12. The vehicle sharemanagement platform may also communicate 24 b with the vehicle shareanalytics platform 14. The vehicle share management platform 12 maycommunicate 24 b with the first portion 28 a which in turn maycommunicate 24 e with the vehicle share management platform 12. Thevehicle share platform 12 may communicate 24 b with the vehicle sharereservation platform 10 and the vehicle share platform 12 maycommunicate 24 a with the vehicle share reservation platform 10. Thevehicle share reservation platform 10 may communicate with the firstportion 28 a which in turn may communicate 24 e with the vehicle sharereservation platform 10. The vehicle share reservation platform 10 maycommunicate 24 a with computing devices 16. Computing device 16 may alsocommunicate 25 d with the vehicle share reservation platform 10.Computing device 16 may also include smart devices. Alternatively, thevehicle share reservation platform 10 may communicate with uniquepersonal attributes 20, for example, a smart device or a vehicle shareapp 30 disposed with a smart device.

In an embodiment, the vehicle share reservation is managed in the formof a reservation package 90 a and a signed reservation package 90 b. Thereservation package 90 a contains vehicle share reservation data andsecurity data relating to the unique personal attribute. The signedreservation package 90 b also contains vehicle share reservation dataand security data to ensure a reservation package 90 a is associated toa unique personal attribute 20. This creates a secured personalreservation in the form of a reservation authentication. The reservationpackage 90 a and reservation data identifies the user, the vehicle, theuser authentication, the role of the use and any restrictions of use orpredefined control (limited or unlimited). The reservation data may alsoinclude the purpose of vehicle use, a preferred start location, apreferred stop location, the type or class of vehicle 22, the length oftime for the use, the distance required for the use, energy required forthe use and the pickup parked location of the vehicle 22. The use may beclassified into types or events such as driving, cleaning, maintenanceor recovery. Classification may also include combinations andsubclassifications. Restrictions may be classified into vehicle sharepermissions or vehicle share limits or both permissions or limits suchas a date and time, activities such as check in, check out, normal,late, recovery or vehicle controls and commands such as lock, unlock,start, operation, routing, geofence or time period. The reservation dataand vehicle share controls and commands may be grouped into activitiessuch as maintenance, recovery or cleaning. The signed reservationpackage 90 b provides a level of security to the reservation package 90a. The signed reservation package 90 b may provide security in the formof a digital key with a lifetime and expiry or other forms of securitysuch as biometric data. The initial reservation request becomes avalidated reservation request through the process.

In an embodiment, the vehicle share reservation platform 10 receives areservation request and formulates the reservation package 90 a. Thevehicle share reservation platform 10 creates a validated reservationrequest associated with a unique personal attribute of a particularuser. This may be thought of as a personal reservation. The reservationpackage 90 a is communicated to the vehicle share management platform12. The vehicle share management platform modifies the reservationpackage 90 a and creates the signed reservation package 90 b. A signedreservation package 90 b may also be considered a secured personalreservation. The signed reservation package 90 b is communicated to thevehicle share reservation platform 10. The reservation platform 10communicates the signed reservation package 90 d to the telematic device28. In embodiments, the telematic device 28 is the first portion 28 a. Ahandshake may occur between the telematic device 28 and the vehicleshare reservation platform 10 to indicate the success or failure ofreceiving the signed reservation platform 90 d. The telematic device 28may also receive one or more signed reservation packages and may beupdated to include a late check out if required by the user. While thevehicle share reservation platform 10 and the vehicle share managementplatform 12 are illustrated as two separate systems, they may beintegrated into a single one platform option.

In an embodiment, the user 19 creates a reservation request either froma computing device 16 or a unique personal attribute 20 such as avehicle share app 30 disposed on a smart device. The vehicle sharereservation platform 10 processes the request to manage the fleet ofshared vehicles 26, the users and the all reservations. The vehicleshare management platform 12 receives the reservation request in theform of a reservation package 90 a and securely signs the reservationrequest. The reservation package 90 a, including a server signature, appprivate key and app public key are communicated to the vehicle shareplatform 10. The vehicle share management platform 12 also communicatesadministrative commands and the server public key to the telematicdevice 28. In addition, the vehicle share reservation platform 10 maycommunicate the reservation package and administrative commands to thetelematic device 28. The vehicle share reservation platform 10communicates the reservation package, app public key, server signatureand app private key to the unique personal attribute 20, or vehicleshare app 30 in embodiments. In embodiments, the unique personalattribute 20 is detected and the second portion 28 b receives thereservation package, app public key and server signature. Thereservation package, app public key and server signature may becommunicated to the first portion 28 a for validation. Upon validation,the second portion 28 b manages immobilization and use of the vehicle byinteracting with vehicle components 26 to activate or deactivateimmobilization and to lock or unlock doors or to start an engine.

In other embodiments, the reservation package 90 a may include differentforms of security for example biometric data to validate a biometricunique personal attribute 20 or proximity data to validate a proximityunique personal attribute 20. In other embodiments, the different formsof security may be combined or complement each other including serversignatures, private keys and public keys.

Telematic Device

Referring next to FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c , embodiments of the telematicdevice 28, relationships to the vehicle 22 and vehicle systems andrelated functionality is described.

The telematic device 28 may include a first portion 28 a. The firstportion 28 a is a vehicle telematics device. The first portion 28 aincludes a processor 46, firmware 48 and memory 50 to control andoperate the functionality of the first portion 28 a. The first portion28 a also includes GPS circuitry to receive latitude, longitude, speed,time and date data as well as accelerometer circuitry to receiveaccelerometer data. The primary functionality of the first portion 28 ais for monitoring vehicle components, the GPS circuitry, accelerometercircuity, logging the associated data, logging engine data, loggingvehicle data, logging vehicle share data and communicating the data to aremote platform through the communications circuitry 52. A secondaryfunction is to receive from the remote platform through thecommunications circuitry 52 vehicle share reservation packages andreservation data. The communications circuitry 52 permits bidirectionalcommunication with the vehicle share reservation platform 10 and thevehicle share management platform 12.

The first portion 28 a also includes a number of interfaces. An internalinterface 58 communicates with the processor 46, firmware 48 and memory50 to permit bidirectional communication with the second portion 28 b, avehicle share I/O expander device. The bidirectional communication is tosend and receive commands, control signals and data. There is also atleast one external interface (42, 44) to couple with the vehicle 22 andassociated circuitry. The at least one external interface are vehicleinterfaces between the vehicle bus and the first portion 28 a. A firstexternal interface 42 couples the first portion 28 a to and OBDII 32interface in the vehicle. This permits monitoring of the vehicle bus,sending commands, receiving commands, sending data, receiving databetween the vehicle bus, vehicle components and the first portion 28 a.A second external interface 44 couples the first portion 28 a to thevehicle CAN bus 34. This permits an alternate form of connection formonitoring the vehicle bus, sending commands, receiving commands,sending data, receiving data between the vehicle bus, vehicle componentsand the first portion 28 a.

The telematics device 28 may also include a second portion 28 b. Thesecond portion 28 b is a telematic vehicle share I/O expander device.The second portion 28 b includes a processor 68, firmware 70 and memory72 to control and operate the functionality of the second portion 28 b.The Primary functionality of the second portion 28 b is for enablingvehicle functions, enabling a defined set of controls, disabling vehiclefunctions, determining a valid vehicle share user through a uniquepersonal attribute 22, determining a valid vehicle share reservation,determining vehicle share use, determining vehicle share permissions orlimits, sending vehicle commands and signals to the vehicle 22,receiving vehicle commands and signals from the vehicle 22, sendingvehicle data to the vehicle 22, receiving vehicle data from the vehicle22. The secondary function of the second portion 28 b is forcommunicating with the first portion 28 a through an internal interface62 to exchange commands and data and to receive reservation data. Thesecond portion 28 b includes at least one way to communicate with thevehicle 22 and to activate or deactivate the vehicle 22. This may bethrough an electronic vehicle key device, emulation of an electronicvehicle key device or through a digital switch 82 to a vehicle bodycontrol module and vehicle bus disposed with the vehicle 22. The digitalswitch 82 is a form of direct connection to the vehicle bus in thevehicle 22.

In an embodiment, there is an internal interface 66 to couple theprocessor 68, firmware 70 and memory 72 to an electronic vehicle keydevice 64. The electronic vehicle key device is enclosed in a section ofthe second portion 28 b that restricts or prevents sensing andcommunication between the electronic vehicle key device 64 and thecommunications 84 capability of the vehicle 22. In an embodiment, thesecond portion 28 b controls the activation and deactivation of theelectronic vehicle key device 64 to communicate signals, commands anddata from the electronic vehicle key device 64 to the vehicle 22.Alternatively, signals, commands and data from the electronic vehiclekey device 64 are internal to the second portion 28 b and the secondportion 28 b is capable to emulate or replicate the signals, commandsand data to the vehicle 22. In an embodiment, this is achieved throughcommunications circuitry 74 disposed with the second portion 28 b andcommunications circuitry 84 disposed with the vehicle 22. In anembodiment, the second portion 28 b control activation and deactivationof the engine through an interface 80, a digital switch 82 or relayconnected to wires on the vehicle bus and the vehicle control moduledisposed with the vehicle 22.

In an embodiment, the first portion 28 a receives vehicle sharereservation data. The reservation data is either accessed by the secondportion 28 b or communicated to the second portion 28 b. This occursbetween the interface 58 in the first portion 28 a and the interface 62in the second portion 28 b. The reservation data contains dataconcerning the user identification and the reservation. The useridentification data may be one of a public key and private key when theunique personal attribute 20 is a smart device, or biometric data whenthe unique personal attribute 20 is based upon biometric features, orproximity data when the unique personal attribute 20 is based uponproximity devices. The reservation data may be one of reservation time,or reservation date, or vehicle share permissions or limits, or vehicleshare use or vehicle share classification type.

In an embodiment, the unique personal attribute 20 is based uponbiometric features and data. The biometric features and data may be aface, a fingerprint, a voice or an eye. Sensor circuitry 76 obtains thebiometric data and communicates the biometric data through an internalinterface 78 to the processor 68, firmware 70 and memory 72. Thefirmware 70 and processor 68 processing the biometric data in comparisonwith a portion of the reservation data for user identification with thereservation. When there is a match, the user has access to the vehicleas permitted by the reservation data.

In an embodiment, the unique personal attribute 20 is based uponproximity devices and proximity data. Sensor circuitry 76 obtains theproximity data and communicates the proximity data through an internalinterface 78 to the processor 68, firmware 70 and memory 72. Thefirmware 70 and processor 68 processes the proximity data in comparisonwith a portion of the reservation data for user identification with thereservation. When there is a match, the user has access to the vehicle.

In an embodiment, the unique personal attribute 20 is based upon a smartdevice or vehicle share app 30. Communications circuitry 77 obtains thesecurity data from the smart device or vehicle share app 30 in the formof secured permissions data. The secured permissions data is provided tothe processor 68, firmware 70 and memory 72 through the internalinterface 78. The firmware 70 and processor 68 process the securedpermissions data in comparison with apportion of the reservation datafor user identification with the reservation. A match based upon publicand private keys permits the user to access the vehicle.

In an embodiment, the firmware 70 and processor 68 may includeelectronic vehicle key device 64 specific monitoring and simulation ofan electronic vehicle key device 68 for specific button selection. Themonitoring may work for different electronic vehicle key device 68hardware configurations where either end of the button could be normallya high or low value. The different configurations may also include adifferent number of buttons that are simulated. An actuation validationprocess runs when a command is issued to actuate one of those buttons.Two inputs may be monitored when the button is depressed or released.This supports either end being a normally high or low without the needto know the actual hardware configuration of the electronic vehicle keydevice 68.

On power up, the firmware 70 and processor 68 may also include a healthcheck process. This process checks the connection of the electronicvehicle key device 64 buttons. This is accomplished without powering upthe electronic vehicle key device 64 as that would unintentionallyactuate the buttons during the health check process. The process ensuresthe power to the electronic vehicle key device 64 is off so thatfunctions cannot be triggered. Then, weak pull-up resistors are enabled.Check to determine if lines cannot be pulled to a high state. Thendisable the pulling resistors and check if the line was supposed to beconnected based on the stored configuration of the electronic vehiclekey device 64 buttons. Report a fault if required.

After the second portion 28 b validates the reservation, the user andvehicle share reservation data, as a minimum the user has access to thevehicle 22 and may unlock and lock the doors on the vehicle 22. Theminimum user access is dependent upon the vehicle share reservation dataincluding permissions or limits or user roles. For example, if the userrole or activity is cleaning the vehicle, then unlock and lock are theonly available controls to the user of the vehicle 22. The function ofunlocking and locking the doors on the vehicle 22 is controlled by thesecond portion 28 b communicating with components in the vehicle 22. Thecommunication occurs through at least one of the interface 60 and theCAN bus 34, or communications circuitry 74 or communications circuitry84 or the digital switch 82 and the vehicle body control module. Inaddition, dependent upon the permission or user role, the user may haveaccess to starting the vehicle. The function of starting the vehicle 22is also controlled by the second portion 28 b communicating withcomponents in the vehicle 22. The communication occurs through at leastone of the interface 60 and the can bus 34 or the digital switch 82 andthe vehicle body control module in the vehicle 22. Other user roles andactivities permit either unlimited access and control or differentcombinations of access and control for the vehicle 22.

The second portion 28 b may also include another external interface 23to attach other auxiliary devices 25. In an embodiment, the auxiliarydevice 25 is a video device. The video device or devices may be locatedwithin the vehicle 22 and provide image data to the second portion 28 bthat may be communicated to a remote platform. One use of the videodevice is facial recognition to ensure the correct user is operating thevehicle 22 and to report a misuse event in the case wherein it is anincorrect user. Another use is to view the inside of the vehicle 22after use to determine if cleaning is required or if objects were leftin the vehicle 22. Another use is to view the cargo area of the vehicle22 also to determine cleaning or if objects were left in the cargo areaof the vehicle 22. In an embodiment, the auxiliary device 25 is an odordetecting device. The odor detecting device or devices may be locatedwithin the vehicle 22 or cargo area of the vehicle 22 and provide odordata to the second portion 28 b that may be communicated to a remoteplatform. A use of this device is to determine if cleaning is requiredor the type of cleaning required.

In summary, the telematics device 28 may be a single device or acombination of devices. In embodiments, the telematics device 28includes a first portion 28 a and a second portion 28 b. The firstportion 28 a includes logic for monitoring, logging and communicatingengine data, vehicle data, vehicle share data, GPS data andaccelerometer data. In addition, the first portion 28 a identifiesvehicle share data representative of a vehicle share reservation. Thevehicle share data is also monitored, logged and communicated to aremote device. The second portion includes logic for validating a userwith a vehicle share reservation and permitting control of the vehicle22. Control of the vehicle may be limited to unlock and lock orunlimited to further include start and stop of an engine. The secondportion determines the validity of the vehicle share user and thevehicle share reservation. The second portion also determines thevehicle share use and the vehicle share permissions or limits. The firstportion 28 a and the second portion 28 b operate concurrently and inparallel.

Vehicle Share Reservation Logic

Vehicle share reservation logic is next described with reference to thestate machine diagram of FIG. 4 and the flowcharts of FIGS. 5-9inclusive. The vehicle share reservation logic is distributed through atleast one computer device 16 or at least one smart device, the vehicleshare platform 10, the vehicle management platform 12 and the telematicdevice 28. The platforms may be distributed platforms or a singleplatform. The telematic device 28 may be a single device or multipledevices. While the embodiment is distributed, the vehicle sharereservation logic may be implemented in one or more platforms anddevices.

The distributed vehicle sharing machine logic 90 begins with the waitfor reservation state 92. The vehicle share platform 10 waits to receivea reservation request from a computer device 16 or a smart device. Uponreceipt of a reservation request, the reservation data is formulatedinto a reservation data package. The reservation data package isvalidated by the vehicle share platform 10 to become a validatedreservation and the reservation data package is communicated to thevehicle management platform 14. Validation relates to the vehicle shareuser, date and time of the reservation and availability of the vehicle22. Then, the state changes to reservation authentication 94. In thereservation authentication 94 state the reservation package is operatedupon to become a secured reservation package. The secure reservationpackage may contain a private key and a public key for the case of aunique personal attribute 20 being a smart device. The reservationpackage may also contain biometric data for the case of a uniquepersonal attribute 20 being a biometric feature. The reservation packagemay also contain proximity data for the case of a unique personalattribute 20 being a proximity device. Upon completion of theauthenticated reservation, the secured reservation package iscommunicated to the vehicle share reservation platform 10 and thetelematic device 28. In an embodiment, the first portion 28 a and thesecond portion 28 b have access to the secured reservation package andthe corresponding reservation data. The state machine logic then waitsfor an activation of the reservation by a user and a vehicle 22.

The active reservation state 96 occurs when there is a valid and securedreservation package and a valid check in by a user with a uniquepersonal attribute 20. The unique personal attribute 20 when validatedby the telematic device 28 with a valid and secured reservation packageand reservation data activates the reservation and provides access andcontrol to the vehicle 22 based upon the contents of the securedreservation package and reservation data. The active reservation stateprovides an indication of the active reservation to the wait forreservation state 92 in the form of administration data. The activereservation state 96 terminates with a check out by a user which thenbegins the completed reservation state 98. The completed reservationstate 98 communicates an indication of the completed reservation in theform of administration data to the wait for reservation state 92. Inembodiments, the completed reservation state 98 communicates the vehicleshare data to the wait for reservation state.

The reservation logic is next described with reference to FIG. 5. Thereservation is created by a user operating a remote device such ascomputing device 16 or a smart device. The reservation request willpermit one or more options such as early check in, normal check in orlate check in with the vehicle 22, type of vehicle, purpose of vehicleuse, preferred start location, preferred stop location, vehicle type,length of use, distance required, energy required. The user may alsoenter a role or type of vehicle share such as operator, cleaner,maintenance or recovery. The user may also select a pickup location ofthe vehicle 22 and a drop off location of the vehicle 22. Thisformulates the reservation data. The completed reservation request iscommunicated with the unique personal attribute 20 to the vehicle sharereservation platform 10.

The vehicle share reservation platform 10 then determines the availablevehicles 22 and available vehicle locations with respect to the desiredpickup location and the desired drop off location. The vehicle sharereservation platform 10 determines the best fit and convenience betweenthe locations to select one of the available vehicles 22. The vehicleshare reservation platform 10 also creates vehicle share permissions orlimitations based upon the role or type of vehicle share. Thepermissions may be unlimited or limited. Limitations relate to the typeor amount of control available by the vehicle 22 or routing limitationor geofence limitations. The reservation data is then formulated into areservation package and communicated to the vehicle share managementplatform 12.

The vehicle share reservation platform 10 may also determine a locationmatch between a user and an available vehicle 22. The location match maybe based upon location data and a distance threshold. In this case,there is an acceptable distance between the customer and the pick-uplocation of the vehicle, less distance is a better match and longerdistance is a degraded match. If the distance is to far the vehicle 22may not be acceptable to the user and an incentive may be offered to theuser to accept the location of the vehicle 22. Alternatively, thevehicle share reservation platform 10 may determine an energy matchbetween the user requirements and the available energy in the vehicle22. There may also be an energy/fuel threshold. The energy/fuelthreshold is an energy/fuel minimum amount required to start the vehicleshare reservation. In this case, there is an acceptable amount ofenergy/fuel in the vehicle for the desired distance or energy/fuelrequired by the user. If the energy/fuel is too little, it may not beacceptable to the user and an incentive may be offered to the user toaccept the vehicle 2. This permits a best match or a degraded matchbetween the user and the vehicle 22.

The vehicle share management platform 12 receives the reservationpackage and creates the necessary security to sign the reservationpackage. The necessary security may be based upon keys (app/private),biometric features or proximity devices. The reservation package is alsovalidated. The validated and signed reservation package is thencommunicated back to the vehicle share reservation platform 10 and thetelematic device 28. In embodiments wherein the telematic device 28includes two portions, the first portion 28 a receives the validated andsigned reservation package and reservation data. The second portion 28 baccesses the reservation data from the first portion 28 a. For the caseof a smart device, the validated and signed reservation package may alsobe communicated to a smart device.

The wait for reservation logic 92 runs on the vehicle share reservationplatform 10 and begins with the initial state of waiting forreservations. A valid reservation is determined as previously describedand when a validation is received, the process proceeds to an activereservation. The active reservation stays active during the timeframe ofthe reservation and may also be active for the case of an early check inas well as a late check out. The active reservation may expire duringthese timeframes if not completed. When the active reservation expires,an indication is provided to the wait and check for new reservationsprocess to make the reserved vehicle available to addition newreservations. During an active reservation, the unique personalattribute 20 permits access and control of the vehicle. The reservationis normally completed when the user with the unique personal attribute20 associated with the reservation locks the vehicle 22 doors at thedefined parking locations. An indication is provided to the wait andcheck for new reservations process. Depending upon the indication, thevehicle may be available for the next reservation, or the vehicle mayrequire cleaning, or the vehicle may require maintenance or recovery.

The reservation authentication logic 94 receives a new reservation,validates and securely signs the reservation and creates a validatedreservation in the form of a validated and secured reservation packagewith reservation data. The active reservation logic 96 validates thereservation with the unique personal attribute 20 and the reservationdata. In an embodiment, a check-in override may occur to accommodatebeing late or early with respect to a reservation. The override includesfour states or privileges. A check-in override state allows incomingusers to check-in overtop of an existing user. A vehicle insecure periodstate may occur at the expiration time of a reservation where thevehicle attempts to automatically lock/secure itself by automaticallysubmitting a lock and inhibit start command. A check-out failure statemay occur if there are conditions which would traditionally cause acheck-out operation to fail, these are overridden with the stateenabled. A reset at end of booking state may occur at the expiry time ofa reservation to automatically reset the booking state regardless ofvehicle condition at the time to allow a new user to access the vehicle.

The valid reservation permits activation of door locks and dependent onthe reservation data permissions, mobilization of the vehicle 22. Duringthe valid reservation time, the user may send commends to the vehicle 22and dependent upon the reservation data permissions and limitations, thevehicle commands will be processed actively with the vehicle 22. Whenthe valid reservation time expires, the active reservation logic 96determines if the vehicle is properly secured to complete the activereservation and permits the user to lock or unlock the vehicle 22 asrequired. The completed reservation logic 98 checks to determine if thecompleted reservation conditions are complete. These conditions mayinclude one or more of the doors closed, lights off, vehicle 22 lockedor specific vehicle location. When the reservation has either beencompleted or timed out, a notification including vehicle share data isprovided to an administrator associated with the vehicle sharereservation platform 10. In embodiments, a user prompt may occur fromthe vehicle share platform 10 to have the user correct incompleteconditions. Alternatively, the telematic device 28 may provide anindication to a smart device associated with the user. When the vehicle22 is secure, the reservation is completed. In the situation where thetelematic device 28 determines the vehicle 22 has not been secured orall of the conditions have not been met, an administrator associatedwith the vehicle share reservation platform 10 is notified. When thevehicle 22 has not been properly secured or the conditions forcompletion have not been met, the system only permits valet bookings oradministrative actions with the vehicle 22 such as maintenance orrecovery to property restore the vehicle to a sharable state for thenext user. In addition, the indications between the user and theadministrator may be automated indications.

Vehicle Sharing & Vehicle Share Monitoring

Embodiments of vehicle sharing and vehicle share monitoring are nextdescribed with respect to FIGS. 10a, 10b and 10c . In FIG. 10a , theprocess 110 starts with receive reservation data. In embodiments, theprocess is executed in the telematics device 28 and the reservation datais received in the telematic device 28. Reservation data is contained inthe reservation package and the validated and secured reservationpackage. The reservation data includes at least one of a unique personalattribute 20 indication, a purpose or function of use, typical oratypical start or stop locations, vehicle type of use, vehicle frequencyof use, vehicle length of use, vehicle location, vehicle use left untilservice, next vehicle share location, permissions of use or vehicleevents such as unattended asset, utilization management, maintenance orrecovery. Next, the process continues with sensing for a unique personalattribute 20 in proximity to a vehicle 22 that is to be shared. Sensingmay be based upon a biometric attribute, a personal attribute, aproximal attribute, or a smart device. Receive the unique personalattribute 20 data. The unique personal attribute 20 data may bebiometric data, personal data, proximal data or security data based uponencryption keys. Compare and validate the unique personal attribute 20with a portion of the reservation data and enable a defined set ofvehicle controls based upon a portion of the reservation data. Thevehicle controls may be limited such as unlock and lock, or routelimitations or geofence limitations or unlimited. This may also includeenabling a digital switch to activate vehicle certain controls in thevehicle 22 or connecting to the vehicle bus to send or receive commandsto vehicle components. Next, the vehicle 22 is monitored to obtaintelematic data and vehicle share data. Vehicle share data includes atleast one of any serviceable vehicle parameters such as oil level, oilquality, windshield washer level, coolant level, energy/fuel at start ofthe reservation, energy/fuel replenishment, energy/fuel at completion ofthe reservation, or accurate fuel consumption. Vehicle share data mayalso include GPS data, start location, routes traveled, finish location,start time, idle time or finish time. Vehicle share data may alsoinclude accelerometer data indicative of driving habits such as speed orindications of an accident. Vehicle share data may also includeindications towards vehicle maintenance, minor maintenance, majormaintenance, energy/fuel too low, serviceable parameters low, vehiclestate, odor detection for cleaning or left baggage. From the beginningof an active vehicle share reservation to the completion of a vehicleshare reservation, the telematic device 28 monitors the vehicle anddevices to log telematic data. Next, periodically, the telematic dataand the vehicle share data is communicated to a remote device, forexample the vehicle management platform 12. Alternatively, the vehicleshare data is communicated to the vehicle reservation platform 10.Alternatively, the vehicle share data is communicated to both platforms.The vehicle reservation platform 10 uses vehicle share data or a portionof the data to manage vehicle reservations. The vehicle managementplatform 12 use the vehicle data to manage the fleet of vehicles such asmaintenance and vehicle location.

In FIGS. 10b and 10c , an alternative process 110 starts with receive areservation request. The reservation request is validated. Vehicle sharepermissions or limits associated with the unique personal attribute 20that provided the reservation request are assessed. The validatedreservation request, with security, is provided to a telematic device28. The telematic device 28 senses a unique personal attribute 20. Witha valid unique personal attribute and associated reservation data,vehicle share is enabled and monitoring of telematic data and vehicleshare data is enabled. In one case, the enabled vehicle share commandsare unlimited and include lock, unlock, start and stop without route orgeofence limits. In another case, the enabled vehicle share commands arelimited or select may include a subset of unlimited or route or geofencelimits. In another case, the enabled vehicle share commands are a groupactivity an may include maintenance, or recovery, or cleaning. Inanother case, the enabled vehicle share commands are exceptions and mayinclude normal check in/out, late check in/out.

Utilization Service Management

Referring now to FIG. 11a , the utilization service management logicgenerally indicated at 120 is described. Utilization service managementbegins with monitoring vehicle share serviceable data which includes anyserviceable vehicle parameter. Next, fuel and or energy data is alsomonitored. This includes fuel-based power trains, electric based powertrains or hybrid-based power trains. Then, create a vehicle share datastream including vehicle serviceable data and fuel/energy data where theserviceable data logs, fuel/energy data logs and vehicle share data arecommunicated to a remote platform. The remote platform may be thevehicle share reservation platform 10, the vehicle shore managementplatform 12 or both platforms. The unique personal attribute isassociated with the reservation data and the vehicle serviceable dataand fuel/energy data and vehicle share data. The data is applied toupdate historical records such as the vehicle share data, vehicle sharecustomer data, vehicle share use, the maintenance data, and driverstatistics for insurance and future vehicle share reservations. Driverstatistics include speeding, harsh events and/or an accident. The datais processed and compared to determine maintenance. For example,maintenance may be determined when fluid levels are low or if theremaining energy in a vehicle 22 is to low when compared to the needs ofthe reservation data such as distance required. If a determination formaintenance is required, schedule the maintenance event andcorresponding vehicle share reservation. Maintenance could requiremoving the vehicle 22 to a maintenance facility or maintenance couldrequire mobile maintenance to top up fluid levels or maintenance couldrequire moving the vehicle to restore fuel/energy or maintenance couldrequire repair or maintenance could require cleaning. The foregoing areknown as maintenance events (energy maintenance event, fluid levelmaintenance event, accident maintenance event, energy maintenance eventor recovery maintenance event). GPS data from the vehicle 22 andreservation data such as start and stop locations or parked location mayalso be applied to maintenance vents to optimize recovery or ferrying ofthe vehicle 22.

Referring now to FIG. 11b , an alternative embodiment of the utilizationservice management is illustrated generally at 130. Vehicle sharereservation and reservation data is received. Then a unique personalattribute indication is received. The shared vehicle 22 is monitored andshared vehicle data is communicated to a remote platform. This includesserviceable data logs, fuel and/or energy data logs and vehicle sharedata. The unique personal attribute is associated with the reservationdata. The vehicle share use data, maintenance data and driver statisticsare updated for use with service management, insurance management orrental maintenance. Maintenance may be scheduled if required at thecompletion of the shared vehicle use.

Vehicle Share Maintenance & Recovery Service Management

Vehicle share maintenance and recovery service management is describedwith reference to FIG. 12 and is generally indicated at 140. Inembodiments, the vehicle share management platform 14 receives ordetermines vehicle share maintenance data. Vehicle share maintenancedata contains an amount of vehicle share reservation data, past,present, future, and vehicle share data. For example, the vehicle sharedata includes engine data such as fault codes, trouble codes,fuel/energy at start of a reservation, fuel/energy replenishment duringa reservation, fuel/energy at the end of a reservation, fuel usage perdistance, oil level, washer level and coolant level. The vehicle sharemaintenance data also includes GPS data such as the start location of areservation, route of a reservation, finish location of a reservation,start time of a reservation, idle time of a reservation and finish timeof a reservation.

The vehicle share management platform 14 processes the data to determineand schedule a vehicle share maintenance event. One vehicle sharemaintenance event is a cleaning event. For a cleaning event, GPS datafor the vehicle finish location and GPS data for a vehicle wash facilityis assessed to determine the best fit with the wash facility.Alternatively, the GPS data assessed could include GPS zones orgeofences. This includes the capability of the wash facility as well asthe distance. The vehicle share reservation data is also assessed sothat the vehicle may be ferried within close proximity to the nextvehicle share start location after cleaning. The cleaning event may alsooccur on location for multiple vehicles, a select few vehicles, vehicleslocated in a central parking lot or vehicles distributed around streets.Cleaning may occur with an unattended vehicle asset.

Another vehicle share maintenance event is an energy event. For anenergy event, the vehicle share maintenance data includes GPS data forthe vehicle finish location, vehicle share reservation data for thedistance required, an indication to the amount of fuel/energy required,GPS data for fuel/energy stations and vehicle share data for fuel/energyat the end of the previous vehicle share reservation. Fuel/energy may beone or both of fuel or electricity dependent upon the vehicle 22. If thevehicle 22 requires fuel/energy, the next vehicle share use may bepresented with an option to replenish the fuel/energy or an energy eventmay be required with recovery of the vehicle 22 to replenish thefuel/energy. For vehicles 22 with an electric power train, the energyevent may include smart charge management. For recovery of the vehicle,a GPS location is also provided to ferry the vehicle upon completing thereplenishment of fuel/energy.

Another vehicle share maintenance event is a maintenance event. Inembodiments, there are two types of maintenance events, a minormaintenance event and a major maintenance event. A minor maintenanceevent occurs when the maintenance requires replenishment of a fluid. Thevehicle share maintenance data includes vehicle share data in the formof oil level, washer level, coolant level, or tire pressure (serviceableparameters). The vehicle share maintenance data also includes vehicleshare reservation data, time to next reservation and vehicle location atthe end of the previous reservation. A minor maintenance event schedulesmaintenance at the vehicle location to replenish the various fluids orrepair a flat tire before the next reservation of the shared vehicle 22.This occurs on location of the vehicle 22 and may include unattendedassets. A major maintenance vent occurs with the maintenance requiressubstantial work or repair to the vehicle. The vehicle share maintenancedata includes vehicle share data in the form of mileage, mileageremaining to maintenance, engine data or engine fault or trouble codes.This type of maintenance requires recovery and ferrying of the vehicleto a maintenance facility. The vehicle share maintenance data alsoinclude vehicle share reservation data such as the location of thevehicle and date or time of the next reservation. GPS data to theoptimal service facility is also provided to schedule the majormaintenance of the vehicle 22.

Another vehicle share maintenance vent is an accident event. The vehicleshare maintenance data also includes vehicle share reservation data andvehicle share data and vehicle data and engine data. Accelerometer dataincluded with the vehicle data may provide indications towards anaccident. The accelerometer data may also provide indications towardsthe severity of an accident. The engine data such as fluid levels incombination with accelerometer data may also provide indicates into anaccident event. Vehicle share data provides the location of the vehicle22 in the form of GPS data. Reservation data provides data concerningthe current reservation and may provide data concerning the nextreservation. This type of maintenance requires recovery and ferrying ortowing of the vehicle 22. GPS data to the optimal service facility isalso provided where the vehicle 22 remains after the accident.

Depending upon the type of vehicle share maintenance event, themaintenance may be scheduled at the unattended asset or an attendedasset. The maintenance may be conducted on multiple vehicles 22, aselect few vehicles 22, in a parking lot or at a street location wherethe vehicle 22 is parked. Once the maintenance event is determined andscheduled, the vehicle share maintenance reservation and reservationdata is communicated to the vehicle share reservation platform 10.Alternatively, the vehicle share maintenance reservation may becommunicated to the telematic device 28. The vehicle share reservationplatform 10 communicates the vehicle share reservation package, andreservation data and unique personal attribute to the telematic device28. The reservation data also include permissions based upon the type ofmaintenance event. For example, with a cleaning event the permissionsare unlock and lock the vehicle. For a minor maintenance event, thepermissions are unlock and lock the vehicle 22. For a major maintenanceevent, the permissions are unlock and lock the vehicle 22, start thevehicle 22 and operate the vehicle directly to the maintenance facility.The route may be determined by the system. Alternatively, a geofencelimitation may be determined by the system.

Vehicle Share Communication Management

Vehicle share communication management is described with reference toFIGS. 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, 13 a and 13 b. Communication between the vehicleshare reservation platform 10, the vehicle share management platform 12and the telematic device 28 must occur to send data within the systemand to a vehicle 22. In certain situations, communication may be impededsuch as in a multi-level parking garage 152 or in other situations wherethe telematics device 28 in a particular vehicle 22 from a fleet ofvehicles 26 cannot make a connection to the network for communication.To overcome these situations, the telematics device 28 may attempt toconnect to neighboring telematic devices 28 in a sequence ofcommunications 24 h until a communication 24 e connection is establishedwith the network. Alternatively, the telematics device 28 in the vehicle22 may attempt to connect to neighboring communication devices until acommunication is established with the network.

Vehicle share communication management 150 begins with an attempt tocommunicate or sense a unique personal attribute 20 with a telematicdevice 28 for access to the vehicle 22. If the telematic device 28 doesnot have a vehicle share reservation package and associated reservationdata for the unique personal attribute 20 and the telematic device 28cannot establish communication to the network 24, then the telematicdevice 28 will attempt to communicate in a random sequence to othertelematic devices 28 to establish a connection to the network 24. Thetelematic devices 28 may also attempt to establish a connection to thenetwork through other devices and forms of communication such assatellite, WIFI, hotspots, Bluetooth or cellular. Once a connection tothe network 24 has been accomplished, the telematic device 28 connectsto the vehicle share reservation platform 10 to receive the securedreservation package and associated reservation data. Then based upon theunique personal attribute 20 access to the vehicle may be granted forthe reservation.

Vehicle Share Misuse Management

Vehicle share misuse management is described with reference to FIGS.14a, 14b and 14c . There are a number of different misuse events. Forexample, there may be an invalid user, invalid reservation, invaliddriver, movement, location, harsh, speed, geofence, biometric or routingmisuse events. There may also be thresholds associated with misuseevents such a location threshold, harsh thresholds, speed thresholdsgeofence thresholds or routing thresholds. When a value is exceeding athreshold, it may trigger communication of telematic data or vehicleshare data. Vehicle share misuse management is generally indicated at160. In an embodiment, the telematic device 28 receives a reservationpackage, with reservation data and vehicle share limits or permissions.Examples of permissions include valid user identified through a uniquepersonal attribute 20, valid reservation and valid location. Examples oflimits include speed limits, harsh operation of the vehicle, geofencelimits or route limits. In addition, unauthorized movement may bedetected when the vehicle is moved without a valid or identified uniquepersonal attribute 20.

A user is identified through the unique personal attribute 20 whencompared with the reservation package and reservation data. Theidentified user then has access to the vehicle 22 for operation and useof the vehicle 22 within the vehicle share limits or permissions. For avalid user, communication proceeds with the telematic device 28 to gainauthorized access to the vehicle 22.

The vehicle is then monitored and the vehicle share data and vehicledata are communicated to the vehicle share platform 10. Either thetelematic device 28 or the vehicle share platform 10 may detect misuseof the vehicle outside of the defined limits or defined permissions.When this occurs, a misuse event is communicated and the vehicle may betracked for example, when the misuse event is movement by an authorizeduser or movement without an active reservation providing an auto-detectindication towards theft.

In other embodiments, vehicle share misuse management 160 begins withcommunication to the telematic device to gain access to a vehicle 22.The unique personal attribute 20 is checked with the reservation data todetermine a valid user for a reservation. If not, an invalid user eventis communicated to the vehicle share reservation platform 10.Additionally, if there is vehicle movement sensed by the accelerometerin the telematic device 28, then a movement event is communicated to thevehicle share reservation platform 10 and the vehicle 22 is tracked bythe telematic device 28.

Vehicle share limits or permissions are determined from the reservationdata. A valid reservation is determined for a unique personal attribute20 and the reservation data. If there is no match when comparing thedata communicate a reservation event to the vehicle share reservationplatform 10 for corrective action to the reservation package.

A valid movement is determined for a unique personal attribute 20, thereservation data and accelerometer data from the telematics device. Ifmovement is sensed from the accelerometer without a valid reservation ora valid unique personal attribute 20, then communicate a vehiclemovement event to the vehicle share reservation platform 10 and monitorthe vehicle 22 with the GPS to track and communicate the location of thevehicle.

A valid location is determined when the GPS current location of thevehicle 22 is outside a GPS or geofence limit usage area associated withthe reservation data. When the vehicle 22 is outside the limit,communicate a vehicle location event and monitor the vehicle 22. Thelimit may also be a threshold such as a few feet to several feet orgraduated to indicate a degree of the vehicle 22 being outside thelimit.

A harsh event is determined when the accelerometer provides anindication above defined thresholds. The defined thresholds relate toharsh braking, harsh cornering and harsh acceleration. The thresholdsare typically a g-force value relating to the accelerometer data andvary dependent upon braking versus cornering and acceleration. Thethresholds may also be graduated to indicate the degree of a harshevent. When a harsh event is determined, communicate a harsh event andmonitor the vehicle 22.

A speed event is determined when the telematic device or the GPS deviceprovide an indication above a defined threshold. The defined thresholdcould be based upon speed limits associated with the route or a maximumspeed limit. The speed thresholds may also be graduated to indicate thedegree of a speed event such as a minor or major speed violation. When aspeed event is determined, communicate a speed event and monitor thevehicle 22.

A biometric event is determined through biometric sensors located in thevehicle 22 and communication with the telematics device 28. In anembodiment, the biometric sensors are connected to interface of thesecond portion 23. Facial recognition may provide an indication to avalid driver irrespective of the unique personal attribute 20. A visionsystem may provide an indication to a messy vehicle or articles leftafter the completed reservation. Odor may be detected though an odorsystem to provide an indication requiring the vehicle 22 to be cleanedbefore the next reservation. When a biometric event is determined, thecategory of biometric event is communicated to the vehicle sharereservation platform 10 as well as the vehicle share management platform12 when maintenance may be required based upon the biometric event.

Vehicle Share Storage Management

Vehicle share storage management is described with reference to FIG. 15.Vehicle share storage management attempts to align the locations of thefleet or select vehicles 22 in the fleet with the needs of the vehicleshare users to prevent unnecessary ferrying of the vehicles 22. Thelocation of the vehicles, proposed route of the vehicles are applied tostored vehicle locations. The vehicle 22 could be free floating andparked anywhere within a geofence areas. The vehicle 22 could be storedat a particular vehicle depot. The vehicle 22 could require a relocationthat could be provided through a service provider or incentives to theusers of vehicle share. Vehicles could be placed at key locations at theend of the day or based upon frequency of use, one depot could have morevehicles on a Monday versus a Tuesday for selectively ensuring vehiclesare dynamically in better locations dependent upon the user demand.

A historical log of vehicle data and vehicle share data is created andaccessible for vehicle share storage management. The historical log mayinclude distance, start location, finish location, energy consumed,energy remaining or route. A historical log of vehicle share customerdata is created and accessible for vehicle share storage management. Thehistorical log may include start location, distance, finish location,energy required, routes, and locations. The vehicle use data and thevehicle share customer data are compared and assessed to determine thebest match between customers and locations of parked vehicles 22. Forexample, the comparison may be energy related to the comparison may belocation related, or route related or a combination. The best match isan acceptable distance between the customers location and the locationof the parked vehicle 22. A threshold distance may be applied toindicate a best match or an acceptable or an unacceptable match. Thethreshold distance may be graduated to provide an indication towards thematch (poor, good, excellent). A free float case provides a dynamicparking area for a vehicle 22 and will vary from reservation toreservation. This is dependent upon the needs of the users from thecurrent reservation to the next reservation over a period of time. Thevehicle 22 is parked at different locations and different users pick upthe vehicle 22 to share the vehicle 22. It's a best match betweenmultiple users and multiple locations for a parked vehicle 22. Aparticular depot case provides a central location for parked vehicles22. With this case, the users pick up and drop off at the particulardepot. Alternatively, the drop off could be for a free float case. Arelocate case covers the situation where the vehicle 22 must berelocated to another free float location or a central depot. The goal isto minimize movement of the fleet or in the case of vehicles 22 withelectric drivetrain, provide a location with infrastructure suitable forrecharging the vehicle 22. Vehicle share storage management may beperformed on a vehicle share analytics platform 14.

Vehicle Share Procurement Management

Vehicle share procurement management is described with reference to FIG.16. Vehicle share procurement management attempts to identify vehiclesfor sharing based upon historical telematic data, historical vehicleshare data, and historic customer vehicle share data. This optimizesvehicle procurement for vehicle sharing based upon selection patterns,use patterns and popular vehicles shared for specific types of sharing.The system considers the year, location, range and usage of a vehicle22, driving habits and frequency. New vehicle information and data isused when comparing to the customer vehicle share data. A historical logof vehicle use data is created and accessible for vehicle shareprocurement management. In addition to the afore mentioned data,distance, location data, energy data and route data may be included. Ahistorical log of vehicle share customer data is created and accessiblefor vehicle share procurement management. The historical logs areaccessed and assessed to compare vehicle use data with vehicle sharecustomer data. Processing may be performed on a vehicle share analyticsplatform 14 to determine and identify either the most popular vehicle inthe fleet or identify the best fit of a vehicle to a customer based uponusage patterns concerning the data.

Vehicle Share Selection Management

Referring now to FIG. 17, vehicle share selection management isdescribed and generally indicated at 190. Vehicle share selectionmanagement attempts to select the optimum vehicle for a user. Thevehicle state may be determined from the vehicle share data or thehistorical vehicle share data. The user requirements may be obtainedfrom the reservation data. Manufacturer requirements and limitations maybe determined and validated against the vehicle share data or thehistorical vehicle share data. Data processing associates the state ofthe vehicle, user requirements, validated manufacturer requirements andlimits to provide an optimum vehicle recommendation.

Technical Effects

Embodiments described herein provide one or more technical effects andimprovements to a telematic vehicle share ecosystem and the underlyingtechnology components. For example, an ability to access a sharedvehicle through a unique personal attribute that may take on manydifferent forms (personal device, biometric detection, proximitydetection); a telematics device primarily monitoring, logging andcommunicating telematic data, a telematics vehicle share I/O expandersupporting the telematics device but primarily providing vehicle sharefunctionality; flexible multiple interfaces between the telematicsdevice and/or the vehicle share I/O expander for interfacing with thevehicle bus of a vehicle for access to vehicle data and/or limitedcontrol of predefined vehicle functions; reservation packages andreservation data that is secured and pertains to aspects of thereservation; vehicle share data that pertains to aspects of the vehiclein operation during a reservation; a vehicle share reservation platformfocused on aspects of vehicle reservations; a vehicle share managementplatform focused on aspects of vehicle share maintenance; telematicvehicle share utilization management; telematic vehicle sharemaintenance and recovery management; telematic vehicle sharecommunication management; telematic vehicle share misuse management;telematic vehicle share storage management; telematic vehicle shareprocurement management; and telematic vehicle share selectionmanagement.

It should be understood that aspects are described herein with referenceto certain illustrative embodiments. The illustrative embodimentsdescribed herein are not necessarily intended to show all aspects, butrather are used to describe a few illustrative embodiments. Thus,aspects described herein are not intended to be construed narrowly inview of the illustrative embodiments. In addition, it should beunderstood that certain features disclosed herein might be used alone orin any suitable combination with other features.

1) A device for shared vehicle maintenance management comprising: atleast one telematic device; at least one unique personal attribute; andsaid at least one telematic device associated with a vehicle and capableto communicate with a vehicle and other devices over a communicationnetwork; said at least one telematic device monitoring said vehicle tolog and communicate shared vehicle data; said at least one uniquepersonal attribute capable to be associated with said at least onetelematic device; said at least one telematic device capable tocommunicate said shared vehicle data to a vehicle management platform;from the beginning of an active vehicle share reservation to thecompletion of said vehicle share reservation, said telematic devicecommunicating said shared vehicle data to said vehicle managementplatform; for each of said at least one unique personal attribute, saidvehicle management platform processing said shared vehicle data andreservation data providing shared vehicle maintenance identification forsaid shared vehicle thereby determining the maintenance requirementsbetween reservations of said shared vehicle. 2) A device for sharedvehicle maintenance management as in claim 1 wherein said at least onetelematic device includes a sensor for identifying said at least oneunique personal attribute to associate said at least one unique personalattribute with said shared vehicle data. 3) A device for shared vehiclemaintenance management as in claim 2 wherein said sensor is a biometricsensor for sensing biometric features relating to said at least oneunique personal attribute. 4) A device for shared vehicle maintenancemanagement as in claim 3 wherein said biometric features and said atleast one unique personal attribute are selected from the groupconsisting of a face, a fingerprint, an eye or voice. 5) A device forshared vehicle maintenance management as in claim 2 wherein said sensoris a proximity sensor for sensing a proximal device relating to said atleast one unique personal attribute. 6) A device for shared vehiclemaintenance management as in claim 5 wherein said proximal device is anFRID tag relating to said at least one unique personal attribute. 7) Adevice for shared vehicle maintenance management as in claim 5 whereinsaid proximal device is a proximity card relating to said at least oneunique personal attribute. 8) A device for shared vehicle maintenancemanagement as in claim 2 wherein said sensor includes wirelesscommunication for sensing a personal device relating to said at leastone unique personal attribute. 9) A device for shared vehiclemaintenance management as in claim 8 wherein said personal device isselected from the group consisting of a smart phone a smart watch, asmart fob or a vehicle share app installed on a smart device. 10) Adevice for shared vehicle maintenance management as in claim 1 whereinsaid telematic device includes at least one vehicle interface formonitoring said vehicle. 11) A device for shared vehicle maintenancemanagement as in claim 10 wherein said at least one vehicle interface isselected from the group of an OBDII connection, an indirect connectionto a vehicle bus or a physical connection to said vehicle bus. 12) Adevice for shared vehicle maintenance management as in claim 1 whereinsaid telematic device includes a vehicle portion and a vehicle shareportion. 13) A device for shared vehicle maintenance management as inclaim 12 wherein said vehicle portion includes a microprocessor, memoryand firmware for monitoring, logging and communicating said sharedvehicle data. 14) A device for shared vehicle maintenance management asin claim 13 wherein said shard vehicle data is selected from the groupof speed data, location data, accelerometer data and engine data. 15) Adevice for shared vehicle maintenance management as in claim whereinsaid shared vehicle data provides indications of vehicle use and saidindications of vehicle use are associated with at least one uniquepersonal attribute. 16) A device for shared vehicle maintenancemanagement as in claim 15 wherein said shared vehicle data is selectedfrom the group of fluid level data, energy level data, accelerometerdata and location data. 17) A device for shared vehicle maintenancemanagement as in claim 1 wherein said reservation data includes at leastone of a purpose of vehicle use, preferred start location, preferredstop location, vehicle type, length of use, distance required, energyrequired or parked location. 18) A device for shared vehicle maintenancemanagement as in claim 1 wherein said shared vehicle data includes atleast one of energy at start of an active reservation, energyreplenishment, energy at completion of a reservation, actual startlocation, actual stop location or fluid levels. 19) A device for sharedvehicle maintenance management as in claim 1 wherein: said reservationdata includes at least one of a purpose of vehicle use, preferred startlocation, preferred stop location, vehicle type, length of use, distancerequired, energy required or parked location; and said shared vehicledata includes at least one of energy at start of an active reservation,energy replenishment, energy at completion of a reservation, actualstart location, actual stop location, fluid levels, of accelerometerindications. 20) A device for shared vehicle maintenance management asin claim 19 wherein said parked location and said energy at completionare processed to determine an energy maintenance event. 21) A device forshared vehicle maintenance management as in claim 20 wherein said energymaintenance event includes recovery of said vehicle. 22) A device forshared vehicle maintenance management as in claim wherein said parkedlocation and said fluid levels are processed to determine a fluid levelmaintenance event. 23) A device for shared vehicle maintenancemanagement as in claim 19 wherein said parked location and saidaccelerometer indications are processed to determine an accidentmaintenance event. 24) A device for shared vehicle maintenancemanagement as in claim 23 wherein said accident maintenance eventincludes recovery of said vehicle. 25) A device for shared vehiclemaintenance management as in claim 19 wherein said parked location andengine data are processed to determine an engine maintenance event. 26)A device for shared vehicle maintenance management as in claim 1 whereinsaid at least one telematic device includes a vehicle share portion,wherein said vehicle share portion includes a microprocessor, memory andfirmware configured to interface with an electronic vehicle key device,the electronic vehicle key device having a button configuration whereeither end of the button is a high or low value, wherein themicroprocessor is configured to perform an actuation validation processwhere a button-depressed or a button-released condition is monitoredwithout the need to know the actual hardware configuration of theelectronic vehicle key device. 27) A device for shared vehiclemaintenance management as in claim 1 wherein said at least one telematicdevice includes a vehicle share portion, wherein said vehicle shareportion includes a microprocessor, memory and firmware configured tointerface with an electronic vehicle key device, the electronic vehiclekey device having a button, wherein the microprocessor is configured toperform a health check whereby the microprocessor is configured to:ensure power to the electronic vehicle key device is off; thereafterenable a pull-up resistor; determine if a line cannot be pulled to ahigh state; disable the pull-up resistor; check whether the line wassupposed to be connected based on a stored button configuration of theelectronic vehicle key device; and report a fault if required.